Update in BF and Expressing breast milk?? etc...

[Steelgoddess]

Hey girlies!

Further to this post: viewtopic.php?f=55&t=92036&view=unread#unread

This morning I woke up in doubt again and thought if I don;t give it a good bash I could regret it...

Sooooo, my Mum popped round and really helped me. To start with we expressed some milk, I was rubbish at it but she showed me how and I did it!!!!! I felt so proud of the golden milk I had produced, and Baby Hayden loved it...

Now afterwards she suggested I try putting him on the boobie, I was really worried cause I knew he had;'nt gone on and I thought i would spend weeks trying to get him back on just so I could "try" again and see if I deffo didnt want to do it anymore, but he latched on after she showed me a good technique. Yah again...

Again I felt pleased, after she left I latched him on myself, but OH had to help move his hands to do it...

After today I had a really good think and I concluded that I liked certain aspects of the boobie feeding but bottle feeding was more for me as I thought... HOWEVER I got so excited when I expressed the milk and felt like I could actually continue doing that and I think that was the feeling i was looking for (Knowing I produced that milk for lo)

Is this possible? ie the expressing only and if so for how long... I understand they get more from the booby but even if I give him some booby milk is it worth its weight in gold?

Also if so any tips on expressing? Im using a manual expresser at the moment by avent...

Hope that makes sense...
And thanks again for support
x

 

[DebbieM]

Hey Sharne,

Every single drop he gets from you IS liquid gold. Whatever you can give him is brilliant.

The first few weeks, as I've said in texts are SOOOOOO hard. It's sore, time consuming and generally shattering, but so worth it in the long run.

IF you are able to feed him straight off the boob, I would do so. Simply because you are likely to get less out of a pump than you would if Hayden was feeding from you directly as a baby is much more efficient than any pump would be.

Also, exclusively feeding via expressed milk will be very time consuming for you, especially if he is a hungry baby. However! I know it can be done as there are others on here than have done so....

If you do intend to do this, I would strongly suggest the Medela mini electric pump. It is a fab pump and much faster and generally better on a whole than any manual pump.

If you need me... text again

PS You're doing great xxxxx

 

[kalia]

DD has exclusively had expressed breast milk for 19 weeks. This was right for us but think carefully before choosing this route. You will need to have someone at home to take over childcare duties while you express. For the first 3 months I expressed for 4-6 hours a day. It's boring. You'll need to sterilise bottles and the breast pump. You'll need to remember to take milk when you go out and about. I think expressing is easier for the first month but once baby is more alert and active expressing becomes a bind. You do feel proud of the beautiful milk And you can feed on the bus. But you'd need to get an electric pump or you will hurt your wrist.

 

[sunnyday]

I too can highly recommend the Medela Mini breast pump. a manual will be hard work if you're planning on exclusively expressing.

BF is so hard in those first few weeks, and I too, like you, considered just expressing, until a friend suggested nipple shields (as LO was really struggling to latch on). These were the main reason that I was able to breastfeed, it made it all so much easier and I began to enjoy feeding him.

Any breast milk you give him, whether from the boob or expressed will be giving him a great start in life. But as others have said, expressing IS hard work. The constant sterilising between feeds, the tugging on your nips, the time you spend doing it.... its not the easy option by any means.

You're doing great, stick with it and let us know how you get on.

 

[nutcase109]

Hey Steel! Hayden is SO cute!

I just wrote this for Carly1985 - but it works here too!

Hand pumps are not as powerful, and because they are harder work, I think the temptation is there not to express fully. Also, try moving your nipple around the sides of the pump towards the end of the expressing, to get the suction working on different parts of the nipple, I find that gets every last drop out, I sometimes get a good extra 10 or 20mls of hind milk out that way, after it looked like the boob might have been empty.

I am bottle feeding him breast milk daily, along with regular boob feedings too, and its working great for us. No nipple confusion either!

Dont listen to the midwives if they are dismissive. They have targets to meet and things they have to been trained to say. Only listen to them if you get one who will sit down and give you plenty time to chat and ask questions and discuss things.

Good luck, and pm me anytime if you like!

 

[valentine]

Hi Sharne,

Oh I'm so pleased to read this post - well done you!

It absolutely completly normal to need some outside help with LO's latch in the early days. Until you wrote that I'd forgotten, but OH used to help me get LO in the right position and hold her arms down so she could latch on when she was teeny tiny. Please don't let this put you off giving breast feeding directly from the boob another go.

I refer back to the big long post I wrote in your earlier thread and also think you've been given some excellent advice and support above, so I won't write another essay here, but good luck and please keep us posted on how you are getting on.

Valentine Xxx

 

[flowergirl]

Learning how to express by hand really helped me to understand my boobies and how they produced milk. It upped my supply also but this took a while. Hand expressing is eficient but you have to give it 80% concentration- the electric pumps are better if you want to express with a bit less effort! You can also express with an electric pump whilst you feed LO as you only need 1 hand for this. I have been using a cheap electric pump from Toys R us which is ok but the connections are a bit faulty so it keeps stopping! I'm seriously considering buying a medela pump to help gather milk whilst I feed Kathryn to up my stock foir the return to work.

Well done for persevering with breast feeding- it is difficult in the early weeks. Good luck!

 

[DebbieM]

I've been trying to support Sharne through text as much as possible but it's difficult to say everything you need to say that way.

I think you are doing brilliantly hun, and as for little Hay sleeping all day and being awake all night, welcome to Mummyhood hehe! Luke was the same. Who am I kidding... was... IS! Although he dropped the daytime sleep too, so is awake all day and night LOL.

Just kidding. He is awake a lot but sleeps for 2 hour periods at night. Lucky me LOL.

Anyway, you had him latched on and feeding for 10 minutes yesterday and that is amazing! Some babies only need 10 minutes. Luke need around 5-10 and that's him done with a feed. Has always been like that (lucky for me I think it is his way of re-paying me for his lack of sleep and his blood curdling scream LOL)

You're doing brill. Try and keep him on the boob as much as possible. As I said, these early days are just manic and tiring and can feel quite depressing in a way because you are tired and the adaption to becoming a Mum is just overwhelming anyway. You're bound to feel up and down because of it too. At the end of the day you need to do what you feel is right but you proved it to you both yesterday that you CAN breastfeed and you're doing it well by the sounds of it. Get as much help as possible! I wish I'd gotten *real* help sooner than 6 weeks. It may have saved me some tears, frustration and general horribleness.

Keep texting me, even ring me if you like! I don't mind! xxxxxxxxx

 

[MattM]

Hi Sharne,
It absolutely completly normal to need some outside help with LO's latch in the early days. Until you wrote that I'd forgotten, but OH used to help me get LO in the right position and hold her arms down so she could latch on when she was teeny tiny

I remember doing this for Debbie in the early days too. It was such an operation in those first few weeks but it did get a lot better and now he just has to see a bit of boob before he's fully latched on without help from anyone.

 

[dannii87]

Oh Sharne babe well done!!

I think you should just do whatever suits you & Hayden. I don't know how he feeds, for how long, how much, how often etc. But the fact you're really trying with the boobie milk is great!!

You should be really proud of yourself sweet, believe me, I know how hard it is xxx

 

[Steelgoddess]

Again I felt pleased, after she left I latched him on myself, but OH had to help move his hands to do it...

After today I had a really good think and I concluded that I liked certain aspects of the boobie feeding but bottle feeding was more for me as I thought... HOWEVER I got so excited when I expressed the milk and felt like I could actually continue doing that and I think that was the feeling i was looking for (Knowing I produced that milk for lo)
x

Hey there ladies,
Unsure if i may of confused some but I a going to bottle feed, breast feeding isnt for me for my own personal reasons.

Also whilst expressing the milk which was lovely I think I need to go the whole hog and either take one path or the other, otherwise I'll consistantly confuse myself...

I won't be posting about this again. as I think i'll confuse matters even more lol!

Thanks again for help
x

 

[dannii87]

Happy baby & happy Mum I'm glad you've settled with a decision so that you & Hayden can get into an established feed. I bet you'll feel so much better for it too xx